


Onwards and Upwards

by Solemnly_Swear (Fitzsimmonsx)



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Ferris Wheel AU, First Meeting, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Stuck at the top
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-06
Packaged: 2020-01-05 14:38:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18368063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fitzsimmonsx/pseuds/Solemnly_Swear
Summary: They meet on a Ferris wheel.





	Onwards and Upwards

The queue for the Ferris wheel snakes far ahead of Gwen, Lancelot, and Merlin. The place is packed with people from all over- Merlin is already regretting recommending it to his friends. Lancelot and Gwen are smiling at each other, though, completely oblivious to the mess around them. 

Merlin almost slams into an angry older man yelling into a phone. He starts to apologize profusely, looking helplessly at Gwen. Clearly agitated, the man begins to yell at him, but then Gwen takes Merlin by the hand and guides him away through the crowd.

“What a-“ The rest is cut off by the tumult around them, but Gwen squeezes Merlin’s hand and sends him a grin.

Merlin squeezes her hand and grins back, relaxing slightly until, minutes later, feeling a different thrill of excitement. They’ve reached the front of the queue at last. Lancelot hands all three of their tickets to the collector, and they’re in, the last of the line to be let on the ride. Merlin nudges Gwen, wanting to share their uncharacteristic good luck, but when she turns back, there’s a frown on her face.

“It doesn’t look like there’s room for us, Merlin,” she says.

Merlin looks at the situation- the four-passenger cabins have all been filled, leaving two available two-passengers.

“No loitering- get on or get out!” calls the man working the wheel.

Merlin looks at Gwen, heart sinking. There’s a warm, concerned look in her eyes, and Merlin knows that Gwen will wait. If Merlin says so, she’ll slog her way to the back of the queue and endure the line all over again. She’ll put him over Lancelot, no questions asked. And that’s what makes the decision. Gwen is a wonderful person, Merlin’s best friend, and she is clearly head over heels for Lancelot. She deserves a perfect, romantic evening.

“Go ahead,” Merlin says, squeezing Gwen’s hand and then dropping it.

“Are you sure?” Her eyes are wide, eyebrows furrowed. “We can get back in line, or go somewhere else-“

“I’ll be fine! Go ahead, enjoy your evening. We can meet up later.” Merlin catches the grateful look Lancelot sends his way and hugs Gwen quickly.

“Don’t have too much fun,” he whispers, and she laughs, blushing.

“What? Lancelot and I aren’t- oh, I’ll see you later Merlin. We’d better get on.”

And then Gwen and Lancelot are distant figures and Merlin is hustled into the only other available cabin.

Merlin takes a seat and buckles in, thanking the employee (who dismisses Merlin with a rude gesture and hurries out, the cabin door sealing shut behind him).

It takes a moment for Merlin to realize that there’s another man already in the cabin. In the confusion, he had figured he would be in an empty two-passenger cabin. The man across from him has clearly been there for a while- he’s tapping away at his phone, an annoyed look on his face. He looks about Merlin’s age; his hair is golden in the light, and his muscles are strong and lean from where they strain against his t-shirt.

“Hello,” Merlin ventures after a couple moments of silence. “My name is Merlin.”

The man spares him an uninterested glance, looking at him for a moment before effectively dismissing him. “Arthur,” he offers up, and Merlin supposes it’s his name. He also supposes that Arthur is a jerk.

Merlin suppresses a sigh. He should have known- no one with that sharp of a jaw line could also have a reasonably pleasant personality. Perhaps he’s just busy with work, though? Arthur is tapping out another text on his phone, looking just about as annoyed as earlier (if not more so).

The cabin lifts off, jolting Merlin out of his thoughts- he hurriedly looks away from Arthur and out the side of the cabin.

A dizzy rush of excitement courses through Merlin. The ground is slowly getting further away, the figures of the people below becoming smaller and smaller.

Merlin chances a glance at Arthur, and then steels himself and opens his mouth. “Have you looked out? The view is amaz-“

“I’d rather not talk,” Arthur says, still tapping away at his phone.

Merlin stays quiet for the rest of the way up, but inside, he is seething. How much effort does it take to stop texting and enjoy the ride? As far as Merlin can tell, Arthur hasn’t looked up once yet.

It’s such a waste, too. The view is stunning- Merlin takes picture after picture before Arthur gives him the evil eye for moving around. Merlin can see the top of Gwen’s head from where she is further down on the wheel, and it’s bent over very close to Lancelot’s. He grins, happy for them, but it fades as he’s faced with the prospect of another ten minutes or so stuck in this tense silence.

Then there’s a harsh jerk and the whole cabin swings precariously. The ride comes to a stop with their cabin near the very top of the wheel, and Merlin glances around wildly at the other cabins.

Nothing in particular seems to be wrong; the wheel is just no longer turning. They appear to be stuck.

Arthur, who has apparently reached a similar conclusion, murmurs “ _Fuck_ ,” angrily, and then “Would you stop looking around and shaking the cabin?”

Merlin settles down and glances out the side of the cabin, just enjoying the view.

“I’m sure they’ll fix it soon,” he tries eventually. “I’ve heard this happens a lot.”

Arthur is silent. Merlin stays still for a moment, watching the other man. Arthur’s gaze is almost laser-focused on his phone; his fingers are shaking slightly where they tap the screen.

“Oh,” Merlin says. “Are you scared of heights?”

As soon as he asks, he wishes he can take it back. His big mouth has always been a bit of a pain in the ass, but most of the time he is able to rein it in (or Gwen is there to fix the situation). But Gwen isn’t here, and Merlin has no way to take it back short of suddenly acquiring magical powers.

“I’m _not_ _scared_.” The other man finally looks up from his phone again- Merlin would be relieved if it weren’t for the murderous glare in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Merlin says helplessly. “It’s none of my busin-“

“Look,” Arthur says, jaw clenched. “Did you say your name was Merlin?” He doesn’t wait for a reply. “ _Merlin_ , maybe I just don’t want to talk to a bumbling idiot. Find your conversation elsewhere.” His tone implies that perhaps Merlin’s idea of conversation isn’t quite up to par with Arthur’s.

And that’s where it all goes wrong. The only thing more legendary than Merlin’s big mouth is Merlin’s temper, and Merlin absolutely hates being condescended to. He’s grown up poor in a household with a single mom, and his little family has had to fight their whole lives to be respected. He has encountered the contemptuous glare that Arthur is leveling at him now countless times before.

“Who says I wanted to talk to you anyways?” Merlin says, sending a glare right back at Arthur. “I was just being pleasant, trying to strike up a conversation. I wouldn’t have bothered if I’d known you were such a- such a _clotpole_.”

Arthur just looks at him, bemused for a second, before bursting out laughing. When he finishes, he wipes at the corner of his eyes as if banishing tears of laughter. It’s a bit much, Merlin thinks, teetering between being miffed and appreciating how the laughter has transformed Arthur’s face.

“Clotpole?” Arthur asks. The grin on his face is fading, as if he’s remembering they’re in an argument. Maybe that’s why Merlin does it. He’s just met the man (and he gets the impression that Arthur can be a bit of a prat), but something about his smile makes Merlin’s heart flutter.

“Truce?” Merlin says, mouth betraying him.

There’s an agonizing moment of silence, in which Merlin looks shiftily at the people below (they’re now dots).

“Truce,” Arthur says.

Merlin looks cautiously over- Arthur’s attention is back on his phone, but he’s not even pretending to text anymore.

“Would it help to have a distraction?” Merlin asks.

“Don’t bother,” Arthur says. His jaw is clenched again, but the anger seems to be directed inwards.

“There’s no shame in being afraid,” Merlin says carefully. When Arthur shows no sign of replying, Merlin casts around for another topic. “So, why are you on the Ferris wheel?” Then he groans and amends, “Not that you can’t take the Ferris wheel. I have nothing against you being here. I was just wondering-“

“Why I’d subject myself to this?”

“Yeah.”

There’s a moment of thoughtful silence, then-

“My father,” Arthur says abruptly. A sigh. “He’s a workaholic- I’ve never known him as anything else.” Then, “My mother died giving birth to me.”

“I’m sorry,” Merlin says. “My father left when I was a child. Not that it’s the same or anything,” he adds on hurriedly, “but I understand what losing a parent can be like.”

Arthur nods. “Sometimes it feels like my father left, too, the day my mom died and I was born. He’s never really been around. But recently he’s been making more of an effort, and I guess I was hoping it would work out.”

“Why isn’t he here?”

“He got a business call,” Arthur replies, laughing bitterly. “I should have known.”

Merlin shakes his head. “I think... I think sometimes it can be hard to let go of that hope. I, um,” Merlin pauses, wondering how much to divulge, before throwing caution to the wind. “I waited every night for almost two years for my father to come back. The people in my town weren’t so kind to my mother and I, but I wholeheartedly believed that he would come back. That it was just a matter of time.”

“What happened?” Slowly. “Why did you stop believing?”

“The kids at school started bullying me. I went home that day with my first black eye, my clothes ripped up and dirty, and my mom started sobbing when she saw me. She hadn’t cried, even right after he left. I think maybe she was numb, or trying to hold it together for me. But she cried so hard that day, and I realized that it was just the two of us, that he wasn’t going to come back and fix everything.“ Merlin lets out a breath before putting the memory back where it belongs. “Anyways, I might have stopped believing, but I don’t think I’ve ever stopped hoping. I still look for him on the streets without meaning to. I have no idea if he’s even still alive, but the hope remains. So I don’t think it’s weak to hope. I think it’s strong to go on hoping even after you’ve stopped believing.”

Arthur sighs and then laughs. “I was just beginning to think you were an idiot Merlin, but here you are, being all wise.”

Merlin opens his mouth indignantly, but closes it at the teasing grin on Arthur’s face. “I was beginning to think you were a real jerk, but you’re not so bad, either.”

The ride jolts beneath them, and then the familiar whir of the mechanism starts up, and they’re moving again.

They’re silent on the way down, but it’s no longer the tense silence from the way up. Arthur isn’t looking at his phone anymore- Merlin can feel Arthur’s gaze on him, thoughtful, as Merlin looks at the approaching ground, and he doesn’t know what to make of it.

They’ve almost reached the ground when Arthur breaks the silence.

“Thank you,” he says. “I don’t think I’d have made it through the ride without you, Merlin.”

“Of course. I’m glad I helped.” Merlin debates adding in a thank you himself, but leaves it unsaid. He’s not quite ready for this all to end, but it feels like there’s a delicate balance, and if he says the wrong thing (or anything at all), everything will collapse.

A man opens the doors- Arthur gestures for Merlin to get out first. There’s a look of pure relief on his face, and Merlin grins when he tucks his phone into his pocket without a second glance.

The older man from before-the angry, yelling one-approaches, and Merlin briefly wonders if he should warn Arthur, but then the man has walked up to Arthur and it’s clear that it’s his father.

“How was the ride?” Merlin hears the man say.

“Fine.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t go up, I had-“

“It’s fine.”

Something about Arthur’s replies must register with his father- his brows furrow and he frowns. “I’m- I really am sorry, Arthur. Do you want to go to dinner, maybe? I’ll turn off my phone, I promise. No more calls for the rest of the day.”

Even Merlin can see it for what it is- a peace offering. A new start. Arthur nods hesitantly, and Merlin smiles to himself.

Eventually Arthur’s father sets off, weaving through the crowd, and Merlin waits for Arthur to follow, but instead Arthur waves to his father and yells “I’ll be right there!”

He turns to Merlin with a thoughtful look, and Merlin’s breath catches. “Merlin, would you like to go out sometime?”

Merlin freezes, and then a grin makes its way onto his face, and he nods emphatically. “Yes.”

 

It’s a new beginning. Maybe not a perfect one, but _theirs_ nonetheless.


End file.
